somorite

Somorite is a rare mineral that was first discovered in 1963 in the Somorja mine in Hungary. It is named after the mine where it was found. Somorite is a complex oxide mineral with the chemical formula (Fe,Mg)2TiO5. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic system and typically forms prismatic crystals. Somorite is usually black or dark brown in color and has a metallic luster. It has a hardness of 5.5 to 6 on the Mohs scale and a specific gravity of approximately 4.2.

Somorite is a member of the ilmenite group, which includes minerals with the general formula A2BXO6, where A is a divalent cation (such as Fe or Mg), B is a tetravalent cation (such as Ti), and X is an anion (such as O). The structure of somorite consists of chains of edge-sharing octahedra, which are linked by corner-sharing octahedra.

Somorite is relatively rare and is typically found in igneous rocks, such as gabbros and diorites, as well as in metamorphic rocks. It is also found in some high-temperature hydrothermal veins. Somorite is not considered to be an economically important mineral, but it is of interest to mineralogists due to its unique crystal structure and chemical composition.